ATL93LA093

During the return leg of a cross-country flight, the student pilot observed lower than expected fuel quantity readings, and suspected a fuel leak or excessive fuel burn. He was also observing signs of electrical failure. He elected to perform a precautionary landing on a rural road. During the landing roll, he maneuvered the aircraft to avoid oncoming traffic. The right wing collided with a pole, a fence, and the aircraft nosed over. Post-accident inspection revealed that 3 spark plug leads were loose, and a fourth was disconnected. The fuel tanks were 1/2 to 3/4 full. The aircraft alternator was operative, however the battery was discharged.

On May 16, 1993, at about 1730 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N6231B, collided with a telephone pole and a fence during a precautionary landing near Grandview, Tennessee. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The student pilot was not injured. The aircraft was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 by Hangar C Aviation of Meridianville, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time, and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the solo, instructional flight. The flight departed Mark Anton Airport in Dayton, Tennessee at about 1500 central daylight time.

The pilot reported the following: He was performing a solo cross country flight. He fueled the aircraft at Dayton, and proceeded to Rockwood, Tennessee as an intermediate stop. He elected not to land at Rockwood due to hazy weather conditions. After circling the airport for about 7 minutes, he elected to return to Meridianville, Alabama, where the cross country originated. During the return flight, he observed that the fuel gauges read lower than anticipated, and that the needles were erratic. He was unsure if the aircraft was leaking fuel or if the engine was burning an excessive amount of fuel. He also reported indications of impending electrical failure. His radios were intermittent, and the VOR receiver stopped operating. He decided to perform a precautionary landing on a rural highway. After the aircraft touched down, an evasive maneuver was performed to avoid oncoming traffic. The right wing collided with a telephone pole and a fence, and the aircraft nosed over.

The pilot also reported that on two occasions prior to the accident, during ground operations, engine roughness was observed during the magneto check. He believed that this was due to engine deposits, since the engine would run better after leaning the mixture and running the engine at a high power setting.

An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration visited the accident site and inspected the aircraft. He reported the following: Inspection of the spark plug leads revealed that three of the lead connectors were loose, and a fourth lead (the number four cylinder bottom lead) was not connected to the spark plug. The fuel tanks remained intact. The left tank was between 1/2 and 3/4 full of fuel; the right tank was about 3/4 full of fuel. The aircraft battery was not charged; the alternator and belt were in working condition.